Gravitational-Wave Research Seminar

The dynamics of merging binary neutron stars, and thus their gravitational-wave signatures, are primarily determined by the mass and spin of the components. However, as the stars approach each other, the presence of matter is imprinted on their final orbits. Depending on the equation of state of neutron star matter, the stars will have radii and tidal deformabilities which modify their interactions and determine the frequency at which they merge. I will outline efforts to model and understand the impact of neutron-star matter on gravitational waves, using both theoretical and computational input. I will also discuss how gravitational-wave observations (like GW170817) constrain the tidal properties of the component stars and allow us to learn about neutron-star matter.